Does someone in your family, or perhaps a close friend, own an electrical business? Are you considering completing a training program that would qualify you to work as an electrician, so that you can join their already established company? Are you at the point that you are trying to make sure that this career path will really suit your interests, your goals, and your areas of strength? If you answered yes to each of these questions, then you will certainly want to keep reading below to learn what you need to know about possibly becoming an electrician. Are you just staring your research and need to enroll in some approved electrician classes? Start here by finding the perfect college or career school.
It is important to understand that while many electricians choose to work in a self-employed capacity, there are definitely other employment avenues that you will be able to choose from once you have completed some level of formal training. Generally speaking, as an electrician you will be responsible for installing new electrical wiring systems or equipment in residential or commercial structures, for repair wiring systems or equipment that is experiencing difficulties, or for performing maintenance to existing wiring equipment or systems. Keep in mind, in this profession it will be crucial that you are extremely familiar with the mandated codes and regulations as they are defined by the state you live in. After all, each and every action that you perform as an electrician will require you to meet these codes so that the structure will be approved by building inspectors.
Within this profession it will be important that you are able to listen to your customers and to communicate effectively so that you can adequately perform your job to their satisfaction. As with many other service oriented professions, it will be critical that you can consistently deliver a high level of customer service and that you are diligent in your work, resulting in a properly functioning electrical system or piece of equipment and a satisfied customer. You can also expect to be required to know how to read a set of blueprints in order to determine how to best design electrical wiring systems for newly built structures. In some situations, the builder or contractor may rely on your expertise when it comes to making decisions that will be in the best interest of the overall function of the structure.
In addition to performing your electrical based duties, it will also be important that you have the ability and knowledge that is necessary to operate a successful business. Thus, you will need to have what it takes to make well informed financial decisions, that you can keep a solid inventory of items in stock for your prospective customers, that you can create accurate invoices for your customers, that you are able to create an estimate for a particular job, and that you can serve as a supervisor or boss to the individuals who work with or for you. Although an electrician will typically operate within a normal work week, you may also find it necessary to be on call for your customers.